In a Yolo County Superior Court action, Walkup attorneys Matthew Davis and Spencer Pahlke recovered a global resolution of $3,000,000 on behalf of a young woman who suffered burn injuries while visiting a winery where she is a member. During a wine tasting event, plaintiff sat down at a barrel shaped wine table. A winery employee subsequently opened a door on the side of the barrel, turned on the gas, and lit a decorative flame. As wind gust pushed the flames down through the barrel and out the still open side door, plaintiff’s dress caught on fire. Flames quickly spread, causing second-degree burns on her legs and hands.
Matthew and Spencer sued the winery, which had the obligation to provide its patrons a safe premises. This resulted in an initial $1,000,000 policy limit settlement with the winery. A second suit was prosecuted against the manufacturer of the fire table. Through expert discovery, our attorneys identified several provable defects. Document and investigative discovery showed these defects resulted from poor manufacturing and design practices, compelling the manufacturer to pay its $2,000,000 policy limits, for a global resolution in the amount of $3,000,000.
